Kisses Before Death
by Sh34k4
Summary: This is a cross over of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, X with Steel Angel Kurumi and myself thrown in just for fun. We're doing our thing and getting into fights, taking on assassination hits and having troublesome love conflicts. Please Review!
1. Ch1 What? No Bars!

Welcome, welcome to my fanfic::Applause, teardrop, sniffle, "Thank you, thank you.": This baby is a cross over with Final Fantasy VII-X, myself and Steal Angel Kurumi is thrown in just for fun. It feels good to finally post this! All of these characters are not owned by me save through fangurldom and I would like to note that I said this early so I don't get sued Please remember to write a review—It's important to me to know what ya'll think! –Sh34k4

Kisses Before Death – 1

Yoyo (Me) **Irvine** Cloud**Leon (Squall)** Rikku**Kurumi**Zidane

Deserted Town, Middle of Nowhere

"Do you believe this!" Irvine yelled as he looked up and down the abandoned town the party had stumbled into. "We walk _all day_ and this joint doesn't even have a decent looking bar!" Kicking up dirt with his cowboy boots, the sniper tried to contain his anger.

The rest of the group tried hard not to childishly agree and throw their own tantrums.

Ever since their truck had run out of gas way back . . ._ somewhere_, they had been walking in the intense dessert heat looking for help. This town—which held no sign of life, much less gas—didn't raise their spirits at all.

Shaking her head, Yoyo sighed before tiredly ordering, "Split up and look for supplies, especially water." She coughed in an attempt to clear her hoarse throat, "My throat's so fsckin' dry, I can't even spit!"

Rubbing her neck, the assassin walked away from her raggedy bunch of companions, Leon immediately falling into step beside her. The tall Gunbladesman towered over her five-feet-three but she no longer minded. They had been partners for so long now that she barely realized when he was there anymore, he just was.

She had saved his life a few years back when he'd had some 'Sorceress of the Future/Past' problem and Leo figured being her bodyguard was the only way to repay her. At first, it had ticked her off—she was an _assassin_ for cryin' out loud!—but he had proven himself useful so she let him join her and now they were on even ground.

They systematically checked the 'grocery store,' if you would be so kind as to call that pitiful selection a 'store,' before moving on to what looked to be an inn (Yay! Free beds!) The pair stashed all their findings in one of the rooms before returning to the one street that cut through the whole town and rejoining the others.

Irvine was practically dancing with joy. "Zidane found that bar's stash! Yup, we're gonna get good and drunk tonight!" He carried numerous bottles of alcohol Yoyo could only guess the names of. Zidane was carrying some as well so she assumed they had spent all their time in the bar. Kurumi proudly help up a few bundles of clothes that looked to be about their size. Cloud had been dragged off by Rikku who had found a drug store and what must have been the town's weaponry or blacksmith. They were laden down with first aid kits and raw materials.

"This is great! We'll base at the inn over there and plan our next move." Holding up her arms extravagantly, Yoyo announced, "Tonight, we bathe!" Kurumi let out a squeal of pleasure and danced around the street happily while the others let out whoops of joy as they raced back to the inn for the first turn in the shower.

Once they were settled, they sat down to enjoy a meal of roast beef instant ramen with plenty of booze on the side. Everyone was well on their way to getting drunk, except Leon of course—he's too serious for more than one or two drinks—when they heard an odd sound come from outside.

Rushing to the window, more like stumbling around in a drunken buzz, they peeked outside to find a hazy mist rolling into town. The mist gave off its own sinister aura and, even drunk, they could feel the approaching monsters.

Shouting with excitement, Zidane jumped away from the window and yelled, "Most kills gets the best bottle!" He ran out the door with his twin-blade Tower held behind him leaving the rest of them struggled to grab their weapons and scramble out the door faster than the others. If Zidane said it was 'the best' then it had to be—the thief knew his stuff.

Kurumi was out first, as she is her own personal weapon, followed closely by Yoyo and Irvine, both packing impressive heat; Cloud and Leon, blades drawn and Rikku rushed to keep up—the poor sap was too young to hold her liquor all that well . . .

Zidane had already killed two Flamehounds and was swiftly taking care of a drove of Killer Wasps. Yoyo took her twin hand guns out of their holsters and began firing away with professional skill. No wasted bullets, one-shot-dead. This is a scary fact since she is only twenty years old.

Not to be out done, Irvine whipped out his shot gun and quickly blew an Ochu's brains out :yeah, I know it's a plant but it's big and it NEEDS brains or the saying won't work : "Do we get points for style?"

Zidane flipped over a rampaging Goblin before slicing it in half. "Works for me."

Cloud was working on a few Rockbeasts while Leo blew a Wendigo to hell. "These people never cease to amaze me." _:hack:_ "A game out of killing fiends!" _:slice:_

"Come on!" Leon yelled as he killed what appeared to be the Wendigo's vengeful mate. "I've only got ten and I know Yoyo is feeling _very_ trigger happy. Especially after four vodkas."

Cloud followed Leo as they worked their way through some of the bigger fiends. He wasn't as big on liquor as Yoyo or Irvine but a challenge was a challenge and he was out to win.

The street was soon littered with the bodies of the dead monsters and the victors . . . argued.

"I killed the most!" Rikku claimed as she waved her Godhand busterglove in the direction of a dense pile of bodies.

"No way, junior. _I_ killed _way_ more than you," Zidane scoffed as he jabbed the body of a nearby Chimera without much interest.

Leo stepped forward and pointed his Lionheart gunblade at a pile that was higher than either of theirs. "No way either of you is the winner."

Kurumi moved Rikku away from Zidane and inserted herself into the semi-circle. "Zidane, killed a lot of flying fiends while you killed big ones so you stack looks higher. Even if he didn't, I would share the drink with him anyway." She blushed and tried to see if Zidane had noticed the slip without being too obvious.

Cloud cleared his throat and indicated his own section of death. "I killed more than Leon did," he calmly announced. Kurumi glared at him for trying to best Zidane and Rikku plopped down on the ground—she wasn't going to win anyhow.

Zidane looked like he'd argue the point but Irving stepped in. "People, people. I believe I have the solution to your entire problem. You see," he paused for effect, "_I_ won." He directed everyone's gaze to a lovely pile of rot that _did_ look quite a bit larger than Cloud's. "Love for good booze had lead to my victory. Now, Zid, kindly hand her over so that I may enjoy my victory—the lovely ladies are invited to partake, of course." He wiggled his eyebrows and the guys couldn't help sweatdropping.

"Now, now, I think you speak to soon, Irvie!" Yoyo emerged from behind Irvine's pile. She was covered in blood but looked quite pleased with herself. "Come look at _my _kill." She led the way to what, at first glance could be mistaken for the boardwalk but what was actually her collection of kills. "I count sixty-five bodies buy only fifty-one are actually worth it." She shrugged, "The other four were horrible shots. Now Zidie, where's _my_ booze?"

Zidane opened his mouth but was interrupted. _Again_. This time it wasn't by a team member though, but by a massive dragon that was taller than the whole town was long! Looking the new arrival up and down, he smiled and hefted his twin blade, "Killer gets the winnings!"

END

Okay, it was a little long but it's unavoidable, it's the intro chap! Love triangles? Flirts? Actual loves? Come, come, tell me what you think so I can tell you! –Sh34k4


	2. Ch2 Don't Get Caught Stealing!

Cingular and Sprint phones can download :for free: screen savers and ringers off this phone internet site: I got this Irvine pic, Super Sexy! –Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 2**

Yoyo**Irvine**Cloud**Kurumi**Leon (Squall)**Zidane**Rikku

"Scatter!" Cloud yelled as the dragon exhaled ice crystals at them. The crystals attached to whatever they touched—instantly spreading. The group scrambled out of its path and tried to counterattack.

Irvine shoots his shotgun and the bullets slide off the dragon's scales, only serving to further annoy the dragon. It shoots another wave of ice at him and he quickly dives behind a pile of dead fiends. The pile gets the full blast and so does the tail of Irvine's coat. Ice starts spreading upwards and he quickly throws off the coat with disgust.

"Fsck me, why don'tcha! That was _brand_ _new_!" He angrily pulls a few clips of Dark Ammo and lets loose a couple of rounds.

Leon and Cloud were working their way towards the dragon for close-range combat, when a large explosion erupts around its feet. Rikku was throwing some of her Al Bhed grenades and the blasts were causing debris to fly up into their eyes!

"_Shit_!" Leon growled as he frantically tried to take cover and clear his eyes at the same time.

Cloud ran right into him and the two smacked skulls :ouch: before toppling to the ground. "Damn it, Rikku!" Cloud yelled as he tried to get up.

Behind her grenade launcher, Rikku blushed with embarrassment. Grenades were obviously _not_ the way. Kurumi was whizzing by as she ran around looking for Zidane.

" 'Dane? Where are you?" She lifted boulders and rummaged through rubble. "Are you hurt? No worries! I'll save you!" She frantically threw things aside in her search.

The ice dragon shot numerous blasts of ice at her but in her worried state, Kurumi was moving around far too fast to make a decent target. The blasts caught her discarded finds instead—while they were still in the air . . .

"Incoming!" Irvine yelled as a large frozen boulder came towards the blind Leon and Cloud. The pair tried to evade it but when the rock hit, they both gathered large amounts of damage, leaving them not only blind, but weak as well.

Shooting for the eyes, Irvine managed to hit the dragon with a Dark Bullet. Now that it was temporarily blinded, all that needed to be done was killing it. Where the hell were Yoyo and Zidane? A quick glance around and two ducks later, Irvine realized neither were presently on the battlefield. What the fsck?

Behind the Dragon

"Make sure you grab that scepter, it's pure gold!" Zidane ordered as he threw treasure into a canvas bag. Yoyo hurried to gather as many riches as she could.

As it turns out, Zidane had had a 'feeling' that the ice dragon was hiding something and acted on his 'thief's instinct' by slipping away after Cloud had ordered them to scatter and boy, was he right! This ice dragon was hiding a whole cache of treasure in a pit behind him and the thief was helping himself to some of the wealth.

"Hurry up, before it realized we're back here." Hopping from stack to stack, the blond grabbed the best of anything he could carry.

Shots and explosions could be heard from around front and Zidane was getting antsy. Shouts and moans of pain followed, and Yoyo couldn't help getting distracted from her job as Assistant Looter Level 4 :lol: "You thing they can handle it?"

Zidane laughed the question aside. "Sure they can!" Plopping a crown on his head, he reasoned, "I mean they've got three seasoned warriors and a newbie with gadgets—what could go wrong?"

More explosions, shouts, blasts of ice.

One shot connected with the dragon and it went _wild_. Flailing around crazily, the dragon tried to reach his injured eyes. Its tail lashed about and the pair jumped about trying not to get thrown by a misguided swipe.

Too bad gold doesn't have good traction. _Especially_ when piled up in mountains. Zidane began slipping and with the sack of loot weighing him down, he couldn't regain his balance. The tail came back and was heading right for his thieving hide.

Frantically, he tried to claw his way back up the pile, even using his tail for some modicum of leverage, to no prevail. Before the tail could hit, Kurumi zipped through and snagged him out of range.

Hugging him close to her ample breast, Kurumi squealed with joy, "Oh! I found you, 'Dane!" Zidane's muffled reply was lost in way too much cleavage—not that he minded much, he _is_ a womanizing young thing after all—but there was no air so he had to push away.

Taking deep breaths, Zidane rasped, "Thanks for the save, Kurumi." He patted his precious sack, "You even got the loot. Nice one, eh, Yoyo?" Looking around, he noticed for the first time that she wasn't there. She was still in the treasure pit.

"Fsck!" Zidane dropped the sack and ran back towards the pit, leaving a saddened Kurumi while he went to help another woman.

END

Yeah! Jealous biznatches ROXXOR! I gotta have a Kurumi Overdrive—MUST! Review and I may give you Chapter 3 –Sh34k4


	3. Ch3 Caution! Boy Crazy Cyborgs Ahead!

I just heard that my friend's sister had an advanced copy of Kingdom Hears 2 . . . :self-control: cough cough "I can't do this!" Fsck it! ATTACK HER! –Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 3**

Behind the Dragon

"Crap. Crap. _CRAP!_" Yoyo chanted as she jumped from piles of gold to piles of jewels in a frantic attempt to reach the exit of the treasure pit. Kurumi flashed by her and pulled Zidane out and Yoyo couldn't help but notice that she didn't come back. "Damn boy-crazy Kurumi!"

Running faster now, Yoyo leapt over the dragon's tail and dove for the exit only to be grabbed by the sack by a very angry looking dragon.

Sweatdropping, Yoyo joked, "This looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"

The dragon shot out a frosty exhale through its nostrils that left popsicles hanging from Yoyo's nose and her teeth chattering. "Sh-shit!" :_chatter_:

"Yoyo!" Zidane had just reached the battle site and had seen the dragon's display.

"C-could use some help up her-re!" Yoyo stuttered.

Irvine pulled out a Gravity Bullet and shot at the dragon's hand from his new and favorite vantage point, a roof top. The bullet immediately took affect, causing the dragon to fall forward for a few seconds under the force of intense gravity. Zidane used this chance to hack off the dragon's wrist which allowed Yoyo to fall . . . _drop like a fsckin' brick_ to the ground and escape the dragon's range.

Zidane and Rikku pulled up beside her. "Still got that bag, eh?" Zidane teased.

"Damn straight! Shi-it. I g-got frozen down to m socks for this treasure and I ain't gonna leave it!" Tossing the sack of gold at his feet, she pulled out her 5-foot Masamune. "That biznatch is goin' DOWN!"

Swinging her katana around a bit to get the chill out of her bones and taking up a fighting stance, she called, "Come on ya fat heifer!"

Aside: "Now you _know_ that's just gonna make it madder," Zidane sighed and Rikku could only sweatdrop and reply, "Yep."

The dragon rose up on its hind legs and flapped its wings so the gusts caused the dirt to fly into their eyes.

"Not again!" Irvine complained as they all took out eye drops and applied the medicine to their eyes. "Damn dragon needs to die."

"Irvie, gimme another Grav!" Yoyo yelled as she ran at the dragon's feet.

He loaded both barrels and cocked his gun. "Comin' right up, sweetheart." Pulling the trigger, he watched as they caught the dragon directly in its chest. Yoyo jumped up and used her advantage to the fullest. She sliced directly into the heifer's heart and left a vertical slash almost to its belly.

Only one problem. Now she was caught face-to-face with a dying—seriously _pissed_—dragon who just wasn't dead yet.

Zidane ran in and sliced into its eye as it swooped downward to attack her. The dragon—for lack of a better word—was _livid_. I opened its mouth and moved to capture Zidane between its jaws. Kurumi grabbed both ends of its mouth and held them off.

"You do _not_ eat 'Dane." The dragon pressed downward, putting its whole neck into the effort. The robot girl strained to hold it off. Gritting her teeth, Kurumi growled, "You don't TOUCH, Zidane!"

The cyborg activated her demonic heart and, eyes glowing red, she shifted her grip and forcefully broke the dragon's jaw. It snapped with a sickening crack but Kurumi wasn't done yet.

She jumped up onto the dragon's head and executed a neat flip before kicking it in the forehead. Amid shrills of pain, the dragon fell into the ground. Kurumi painstakingly made her way down its back, crushing its ribs as she went. :_crack, crunch, break_:

"Damn! She's really getting into it, isn't she?" Zidane remarked as he, Rikku, Yoyo and—the now joining them on ground level—Irvine. They all sweatdropped as Kurumi ripped its tail in half.

"We should really take pity on it," Rikku inserted as an arm followed the tail.

Looking on for another minute of gruesome torture Yoyo replied, "You wanna be the one to try and stop her?"

Gulps of fear.

"Zidane, she likes you, go calm her down," Irvine ordered as they watched Kurumi single-handedly lift the dragon and begin to twirl it over her head before throwing it into the ground.

"Me! Are you outta you mind man?"

"Yes, you. Get over there before she destroys what little there is of this town left."

With a burdensome sigh, Zidane sidled closer to Kurumi's one-sided fight. "Eh, Kurumi? It's time to stop now," he readied himself to run and from behind, the others could see his tail was straight with fear.

At his voice, Kurumi paused and looked at him. Instantly, her eyes returned to their normal blue and she ran to Zidane's side. "Are you alright, 'Dane? I know that thing was big but I hit it for you," she hurried.

Laying his hand on her shoulder, Zidane assured her. "You got him good. A job well done." Kurumi's eyes clouded over and her face turned red as she imagined _very_ X-rated thoughts.

The dragon wasn't as dead as they all thought—damn thing had _way_ too much stamina! It rose only two feet off the ground, but rise it did! Using its only remaining claw and its good eye, it aimed and readied itself for a final blow of ice.

:_Bam, bam, bam_:

The dragon collapsed, dead and Yoyo blew off her smoking guns. Turning to Zidane, she called, "Now, where's my booze?"

Zidane looked at her for a moment in shock and then threw back his head for some hearty laughter. Kurumi laughed because Zidane was happy, Rikku laughed because of the randomness of it all and Irvine laughed because he knew he'd be getting some of that prized alcohol later.

Looking around, Yoyo asked, "Hey, where're Leon and Cloud?" The two swordsmen had been abandoned near Irvine's coat, unconscious and nobody noticed.

Irvine laughed harder and Rikku blushed furiously.

"What?" Yoyo asks as she looks from one to the other.

Irvine throws his arm around her shoulders and laughingly tells her, "Boy, do I have a joke for you!—We'll talk about it over drinks, eh, babe . . ."

END

:Laugh maniacally: I really do like the fact that Leon and Cloud got KO'd but nobody remembered—had a lot of fun coming up with that section! --Sh34k4


	4. Ch4 Viva Love Vegas

That lying _whor3_! X she doesn't have it –I just knew it. Now we will all begin the excommunication process. Bye-bye non-gamer :raises guns and removes safety: "Lying whore!" :pulls trigger: --Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 4**

"Now _this_ is more like it!" Zidane exclaimed as he stared in awe at the city before them.

Lights flashed from all directions, boldly declaring what casino games and entertainment waited within. The streets were busy with activity and sidewalk merchants loudly advertising their goods.

They weren't the only ones . . .

A pack of prostitutes were . . . displaying their wares on a nearby corner. It couldn't be avoided, there were four drooling mouths, four pairs of bulging eyes and :eh-hem: _other things_.

With sniffs of disgust, Yoyo and Rikku dragged an outraged Kurumi down the brightly lit sidewalk, each holding a bag of riches.

That whole dragon episode had _really_ helped their depleted coffers—they now had enough for anything they wanted and after a week walking through the desert, 'anything' meant a _bath_.

The party checked into a luxurious hotel and sat back into a hot tub big enough to be a small pool. There were collective sighs of joy and many purrs of pleasure.

Irvine was looking around the tub uncomfortably. What were these chicks _thinking_?

"'Why don't we all share the hot tub?'" they'd suggested. And idiot that he was, he had said, "'Sure, why not.'" _This_ was 'why not!' There were three practically naked women nearby and he hadn't gotten laid for almost three weeks now. : :This 'bath' was _torture_.

What were they wearing those 'bikinis' for? Those little scraps of cloth weren't bathing suits! They were male eye torture! Especially _her_! Damn her to hell for stretching out beside him and totally not noticing how it affected him!

Zidane was having similar problems, only the chick knew exactly what she was doing. Kurumi was drawing invisible shapes on his abs and pressing up against him. What happens when a womanizer gets attacked by an over endowed willing female? He turns honorable!

"Kurumi?" He began as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts.

"Hmm?" She purred as she drew a star on his lower abdomen.

Thoughts weren't forming much less collecting . . . "Um . . . Uh . . . do you want a drink?" Jumping out of the water, Zidane rushed to find his towel.

"I'll help you, man!" Irvine hastily volunteered as the others murmured of their own thirst.

The pair rushed from the room and—once safely in the hall—let out twin sighs of relief. Zidane looked over to Irvine and asked, "You too, eh?" Irvine nodded in reply and led the way to the hotel-stocked fridge. They grabbed the drinks and made their way back to the hot tub in silence. The others had all gotten out and were hanging out in patio chairs.

Yoyo was lying down in one of the recliner patio chairs while Leon sat at her feet playing cards with Cloud who was being hovered over by Rikku.

When the pair of soda delivery boys entered, she quickly rushed forward and took Cloud's orange soda, opened it, and offered it to him sweetly. Without taking his attention from his poker game, Cloud took the soda and thanked Rikku before taking a long gulp that quickly finished the entire can. His lack of attention hurt Rikku's feelings but she played it off by sitting next to him, under the pretense of watching the game.

Upon Zidane's return, Kurumi had _bounced_ over and sat him down in a chair she had saved for him to play cards. She sat on the armrest with her arms encircling his neck. Zidane handed her her soda and tried to concentrate on his hand while a large breast bounced around at the edge of his vision.

Irvine gave Leon his Root Beer and Yoyo her Mt. Dew before pulling up a chair and studying his hand. The game was going his way until Zidane dropped a Full House and knocked his hand out of the water.

"Little Thief," he cursed as Zidane cheekily dealt the new hand. Glancing over at Yoyo, he noticed she was absently staring at Leon's back. At his attention quickly smiling before returning to his game.

The phone rang and she rose to get it. The game made a few twists until Cloud and Irvine forfeited, leaving Leon to Zidane's Flush spectacular.

Leon eyed Zidane suspiciously, "You are so cheating, man." Zidane quirked his eyebrow innocently, "That's a serious accusation to be putting on the table, dude."

Leon titled his head to the side, "You've been slipping cards."

Zidane's tail began to wag nervously under the table. "Oh yeah? Prove it!" he scoffed.

Leon turned over one of his cards and revealed one identical to one of the cards Zidane held. "You've been quick about it but you're getting them from that blasted tail of yours." :The aforementioned body part darts out of view and under the chair:

Zidane shrugs and gives them back their Gil while the others glare. "What?" he asks affronted, "A guy's gotta practice _somehow_." He laughs and gives them each an extra bit of Gil from his pile to make up for their losses. They were wondering whether to start anew when Yoyo returned—dressed in black silk and packing weapons.

"I've got a hit. Should be back by morning. You don't have to come along Leon, no worries! I can take care of one measly target.: Wiggling her fingers, she sauntered out the room and into the night.

Looking up into the clear night sky, she sighed, "Perfect weather for killing." Smiling, she fixed her cloak over her weapons and sashayed down the busy street, disappearing into the crowd.

END

Who does Irvine like? Hmm? Not gonna te-ell. Tried to get a little R & R thing going for this chap—killing dragons is hard work!—and hope you enjoyed the hot tub scene :snickers at the hopelessness of men: Poor males can't contwol demselves::lol:--Sh34k4


	5. Ch5 You Lost the Money!

She has disappeared for the moment. All plans for her assassination must be paused—it just isn't the same when the victim isn't close by —Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 5**

A dark figure stands alone on the roof of a tall building. Calm summer wind causes his cape to billow in the breeze and for a moment, the clouds part to reveal this mysterious figure.

It's wa-na-na! _Batman!_

Yoyo appears behind him, "Get the fsck out of here you poser!" She kicks him over the edge and takes his place. Striking a pose, she subtly signals the shocked orchestra.

"E-hem!" dun-dun-dada!

Stealthily, she monitors the activity of the room three floors down on the opposite building. A red haired man was arguing with a small black haired female that looked to be in her early twenties. The man seamed very angry about something and the woman was trying desperately to reason with him.

That didn't matter. Her informant had given her the description of the man as the hit and the little miss would just have to leave the room long enough for a chance to get to the hit or die too.

Shifting her Masamune, Yoyo noted the presence of a third party. She could only see the person's waist, but from that alone she derived it was a man and from carefully reading the female's lips, she realized he was to be the hit's bodyguard.

She very nearly toppled over the edge with laughter!

A bodyguard? How pathetic was _that_? What a pansy!

Wiping away tears, she stepped back from the ledge and gained a running start as she launched herself from the rooftop across the separating alley and through the hit's window.

Glass broke and filled the room with that shocking tinkle of glass breaking into a thousand pieces. Yoyo rolled and unsheathed the Masamune in one fluid motion as she advanced on her target—hit first, misses later and the bodyguard if she had time . . . they were serving steak for dinner and for all her big words to the others, she _loved_ steak.

Her katana was stopped by a large material sword that looked oddly familiar . . .

"Cloud!"

"Yoyo!" Cloud's blue eyes opened in shock as he realized he was in a troubling position.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the asked in unison.

"I'm working a hit, you?"

"I'm guarding him," he pointed his thumb at the hit behind him.

"Why?" she raised an eyebrow in a scolding, mother-like manner that made Cloud squirm—the forgotten couple tried to inch their way to the door.

Cloud blushed wildly. "Well . . . we sorta . . . lost all the money at the casinos!" He rushed the last bit with a desperate hope that she wouldn't hear it.

"_Lost the money_! Cloud—" she pointed her katana at the fleeing couple. "Now, you better sit down and stop playin' around. This is _not_ the time for that kind of stupid shit!" Turning back to Cloud, she growled, "How the _hell_ did you six spend _thousands_ of Gil in," she glanced at her watch, "_four_ _hours_?"

Sweat dropping, Cloud cleared his throat, "Actually, three—I've been here for about an hour . . ."

"_Three hours!_" She yelped unbelievingly.

"Well you see, there were some horse races and a few games of Craps and . . ." he shrugged, "We had and then we didn't."

Yoyo was seeing _red_.

The red haired guy leaned over and whispered to his little lady friend, "Why are we still here, Nana?"

"Because the person with the big ass katana _said_ not to move!" Nana replied exasperatedly.

"Yeah, but she's here to _kill_ me. Don't you think we should try to . . . you know, resist?"

"Kazuma, she looks a little pissed to be 'resisting.'"

Kazuma scratched his head and then straightened. "That's enough of this! I ain't gonna sit by and wait for death! Fsck that shit!" Pointing his finger at Yoyo he called, "Hey you, come get some!"

Raising an eyebrow, she turned and for a moment Kazuma was hit by a wave of pure animosity that froze his body. He shook himself out of it, flexed his stiff right hand and cricked his knuckles. His body momentarily glowed with the rainbowish aura of an alter user before the furniture in the room dissolved and his arm was replaced by what looked like a robotic arm with claws. His right eye was surrounded by a gold bit of armor that caused his hair to spike and on his back a gold wing-like thing materialized.

"Let's go, bitch." He closed his right fist and prepared to fight. Nana—disapproving as she was—pulled out a pair of Tanza Blasters and took aim. If they were taking a stand, _they_ were taking a stand.

Glancing at Cloud, Yoyo noted, "You're fired, dude."

Looking at the couple he shrugged, "I guess I am." Taking in the odds, he asked, "You alright?"

Yoyo looked over the two resisting hits and gauged their mentally difficulty. "I'll tag you," she scoffed.

Kazuma gritted his teeth and snarled as he began running towards Yoyo.

She smoothly dodged and raised her katana in time to ward of a hailstorm of bullets coming from little Hispanic gunner girl. Smirking, she Flash Stepped behind her and tripped her before she even realized she had moved.

Kazuma became even angrier and his wing began to twirl, storing energy. Focusing on him intently, Yoyo began the mental analyzing process necessary to execute her Learning S-Ability.

"Watch this you little bitch!" A slot on his fist opened and began to glow. "Shell bullet!" With amazing speed, e got inside her defenses and landed a solid blow to her middle that caused blood to shoot from her mouth.

The force of it sent her flying backwards into the wall, leaving a deep indentation of her body crumbling away the cheap drywall. A muffled scream of pain escaped as she used her katana to right herself, but Yoyo grinned.

"Thanks for the sweet Tech. This hit has just become much more useful. Not only will I get some dough, but I've got a new Tech too!" she laughed manically and Cloud silently shivered at the sound because he knew she was just getting warmed up.

Kazuma growled in disbelief, "What the hell are you talking about, bitch?"

Looking at him for the first time, Yoyo fixed him with a molten gold stare, "Just you wait and see, asshole."

END

Due to many pleas, here is Nana Osaki's moment with Kazuma as begged for by Mia. snicker snicker Haha! You tripped! j/k, much love all around except for money spending gambling bastards:: o :lol! Review by going to the review link on the bottom of the page, I wanna hear what you've got to say!—Sh34k4


	6. Ch6 Berserkers and Incapable White Mages

I just reserved myself a copy of KH2 at EBGames—for 5 bucks! The joy just keeps coming to me and this feeling of accomplishing a life goal keeps welling up in my chest I'm _so_ proud of myself!—Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 6**

Yoyo **Cloud **Kazuma (S-cry-ed) **Nana Osaki**

Yoyo wiped a trickle of blood from her chin and spat the remainder onto the carpet. Smirking slyly, she fixed her grip on her blade.

"Now, let's take another go at this,' she came at him and feigned to the right before Flash Stepping to his left and swinging her katana. Kazuma managed to block it but then she immediately vanished, too fast for his eyes to follow.

She reappeared behind him, then in front, then to the right, and then in front again . . . she kept this up until he was down right confused and then Flash Stepped above him and drop kicked him into the floor. Cricking her knuckles, she called forth the element of Thunder.

Her hand sparked and then little jolts jumped from her palm to her fingers. She grabbed Kazuma's metal arm and allowed the electricity to surge through his body a bit—amid sickening roars of pain from the electrocuted party.

In the mean time, his little lady was back on her feet and flinging the first thing she laid hands on and attempting to retaliate . . .

Too bad it was a pillow.

The pillow connected solidly with Yoyo's head and the shock of it caused her to release Kazuma but it truly only served to distract her attention—to Nana.

"You leave Kaza-kun alone!" Aiming her Tanza Blasters, she closed her eyes and pulled both triggers. The Blasters bucked when shot and she wasn't concentrating so they shot about wildly and Nana was just along for the ride. After about two minutes of ear shattering gun blasts . . . Nana ran out of shells . . .

_click click_ The gun registered a pair of empty clips and Nana opened her eyes in disbelief. _EMPTY!_ At a time like _this?_ What the fsck?

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Nana tried to downplay the situation as the assassin was standing a few feet away totally free of bullet wounds :was her aiming _that_ bad: and she was out of bullets. "Hehe," Nana sweat dropped and slowly began to reach for a replacement clip.

Yoyo gave her a pitying smile before flipping her katana and embedding it into the floor and drawing out her pair of handguns. She let loose her own quick array of bullets. Nana ducked for cover behind the bed but a shot caught her in the thigh causing her to yelp aloud.

Reholstering her guns, Yoyo turned swiftly, and grabbed her katana in time to shield against an angry Kazuma's fist and kick combo. What followed was a semi-melee that was stopped once Yoyo blocked his right fist with her katana, twisted around behind him and worked her knuckle into the side of his neck.

With exact pressure, she pulled a muscle that caused his entire body to lurch and rendered his left arm useless.

"Hmm." She said with a tone of disappointment. "Could have sworn that was the right one . . . Oh well." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Cursing heavily, Kazuma doubled over and rolled out of reach—Yoyo let him. She wasn't in any hurry.

"You mother fsckin' whore! Shi-it!" His paralyzed arm was nothing but dead weight exuding that burning sensation one experiences when numb digits are exposed to heat. His vision became slightly hazy from the pain and he could vaguely make out a black figure slowly coming towards him.

Kazuma rolled onto his chest and military crawled around the side of the bed. He found a hurt but still undead Nana trying to call up some White Magic and obviously failing miserably since her wound was still bleeding heavily. At this rate, she _would_ die.

A tide of rage consumed him and retriggered his weakened alter. The bed dissolved and the chair Cloud was sitting in disappeared as well—much to his dislike. Kazuma's body glowed again before the same yellow and orange metal covering his arm replaced the rest of his body's limbs and torso. The wing on his back grew into a longer, almost tail-like extension while he himself seemed to have gone into Berserker mode.

He stood—ignoring the numbness of his left arm and his slightly blurred vision. With a shift of space, he Teleported in front of Yoyo and punched her in the jaw. The blow knocked her off balance and she barely had time to counter with a kick before a barrage of swift punches plowed into her shielding arms and exposed midsection.

Kazuma knocked her backwards and succeeded in pushing Yoyo out of the broken window.

For a moment, time stopped.

On the floor, Nana watched as the assassin lost ground and began to fall, thinking, "_YES!"_

Cloud's body had tensed, his muscular frame tight from shock. :She _was _falling from the 12th floor: he fleetingly wondered just what he'd tell Leon when he got back . . .

Kazuma was filled with an unholy glee. "That bitch is finally going down!" he thought as he watched the moment in what seemed to be slow motion.

Wait a minute . . . why is she still falling so slowly? The slow-moment Matrix-moment is done. :An annoyed cast shoots Sh34k4 a glare only to find her drooling in slumber over the script. Cloud quietly goes over and gives her a nudge and she shoots upright into attention:

Yoyo falls out the window but grabs Kazuma's tail-wing and he follows her out. Nana shrieks of fear could be heard over the loud whistle of the wind as they fell together. Cloud nodded his appreciation before turning a very evil look on Nana, "About my pay . . ."

Falling down twelve stories can hurt. It can hurt _bad_.

Good thin they landed on the nice, soft and squishy remains of Batman! Rolling off the fresh carcass::must have been a grappling hook malfunction, hehe: Yoyo quickly whipped out her gun and shot off a few bullets as a distraction. "Come on," she thought, "where's the weakness of full body armor?" Using her free hand, she quickly called forth a thunderbolt to fully encase the metal man. Kazuma roared in agony and literally smoked as he made another go for her.

Realization came to her in a flash.

He was a _close-range_ fighter. He was totally vulnerable to any long range attacks! Before his punch could connect, she Flash Stepped back onto her original rooftop and—using both guns—started to shower him with lead.

"Shocking First Bullet!" Kazuma slammed his fist into the ground and flew upwards with enough speed to dodge the first array of bullets.

Jumping back quickly, Yoyo moved out of range and onto the ledge before taking her katana in one hand and using the other to cast Thundaga on the blade. Kazuma came at her again—Berserker mode making him too ignorant to see an obvious trap—and extended his fist to greet the electricity :Batman pops in and pauses the feed. "Kids, don't try this at home!" Play: the force of the punch pushed Yoyo's feet down into the roof, cracking cement and metal support beams but Kazuma seemed to suffer worst.

His teeth were grit so hard, they began to bleed and his limp arm was on _fire_, but he pushed on. Yoyo shifted her grip on her katana, twirled to evade the punch and smoothly punched him in the base of his neck with enough force to render a man unconscious, but surprisingly he turned on his heel and countered with a punch that—though it only clipped her—sent a wave of pain sizzling through her arm.

Kicking him in the jaw, Yoyo delivered a heavy barrage of punches that pushed Kazuma back but didn't stop him. This Berserker had no limits! He just sucked up his injuries and kept on attacking! Sending him flying across the rooftop, Yoyo reevaluated her plan. Blows were nothing to him and even the Thunder was just being stored up as another injury . . . she had to finish this guy off before he got too far out of hand and decided to do her in first!

Dispelling the Thundaga, she ran her pointer and middle finger down the blade using Alchemic Skill to make the blade morph from a Masamune into an Ogrekiller. The piercing ability of this blade should be enough to cut through his metal armor . . . at least, that was the idea she was going with.

Kazuma came charging at her again and Yoyo was done with defense. She charged at him as well. His fist made for her, but she dodged it and immediately countered with Ogrekiller, slicing a shallow cut across his chest that tore threw the metal and left a nice splatter of blood on the rooftop. Kicks, fists, slices—all were traded as the two went for each others' throats. Yoyo was panting heavily and wounds all over her body were bleeding freely . . . she didn't care. Bloodlust was surging through her now and all that mattered was the kill.

Kazuma wasn't much different. In his Berserker state nothing mattered but winning. Sure, he was bleeding heavier than Yoyo, but all his pain was immaterial—he couldn't feel it anyway. His arm was still hanging uselessly and his vision was still hazy but he just kept coming and quite frankly, Yoyo had had quite enough of the whole thing.

"Sheesh. I had hoped it wouldn't resort to this but I guess you are just too far gone to know the difference anyhow." Taking Ogrekiller in her hand she poured highly condensed energy into the blade until it began to glow with an ominous blue aura. Concentrating, she released some of her held back energy and let it envelope her body. Her eyes met Kazuma's and she looked directly into his eyes as her eyes went from brown to a demonic golden stare. "Come. Let's make your death quick."

Kazuma hesitated for a moment and then charged for her with all his might. Yoyo sidestepped, easily dodging his blow and with a smooth sweep of her katana, she sliced through the soft barrier of Kazuma's flesh. Blood spurt out of the wound and his alter wavered before disappearing altogether. Kazuma's eyes slowly lost their flame and rolled backwards into his head as his throat made a puddle of blood on the rooftop.

Sighing heavily, Yoyo sheathed her katana and walked to the corpse. Bending over his body, she kindly closed his eyes and pat down his body. A disk lay in his pocket. This disk had made him a target by some big time organization called Holy. Yoyo didn't understand it; they don't tell assassins the whole story—just what's needed for the job. Looking down on his body, Yoyo gave him a swift prayer before casting Firaga and cremating his remains. Sometimes, this job was heavy on the conscience . . .

"Hey!" Cloud called from the broken window.

Yoyo walked to the edge and waved down to him and when he gave her a questioning look, she gave him a thumbs up and a weak smile. Yeah, the job was tough on the conscience but sometimes you just had to grin and bare it. Besides, wasn't there a song out there that went "only the good die young?" Snickering at the irony, Yoyo jumped down to the road to wait for Cloud.

END

sniff sniff So sad! whaaaa! Okay, assassins can have regret too! I'm sad now. I typed this chap as it came to me and must say that it is very dark and ebil with a lot of confusing emotional moments . . . maybe I should rewrite it when it doesn't make me feel as sad . . .


	7. Ch7 The Loneliness of Rain

My Track Coach, Patrick Abrams died on April 4th, 2006. It was a real blow to me because he and I had been talking just the day before and I remember congratulating him on the recovery of his sprained ankle—he was so happy! Abrams, this one's for you — vv Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 7**

It was raining.

It wasn't that everyday rain either; it was the kind of rain that kept people indoors. The kind that allowed for plenty of free time for contemplation.

Plenty of time for the guilt to catch up.

That dark being called an 'emotion' was taking the chance to assault Yoyo. She stood, alone in her room staring out the lone window at the rain. The Guilt rose up out of the darkened corners and gripped her mind.

Memories of killings long past resurfaced. Clawing their way to the surface, each gruesome hit fought for her attention as her vision blurred and they took over. Their goal achieved, they lined up, like movie reels waiting to be played in the solitary theater of her mind.

It began with her first kill, right out of the School of Forbidden Arts. She'd only been sixteen but already, the sights of blood flowing in rivers and life slipping from a body were mundane in her world.

**FLASH**

The reels rapidly played and traded the spotlight from one memory to another.

**FLASH**

Years later, she was a wondering killer. Her only link to the world was a SOFA issued cell phone used for updates on jobs in the area. She moved slowly life oozing by slowly without meaning. There were only the kills—continuous death whose only claim to existence was the Gil deposited in her International Account at the end of a job.

**FLASH**

She met the SeeD members. Some sorceress or other needed to be taken out and the leader had offered the right price. Her sword had been bought. Death. Even for those who fight in the name of Good, there will always be death during war. The sorceress was defeated by a deathblow Yoyo had delivered after shedding more blood than she had ever shed in her career. This was a lesson. **FLASH**

A wandering mercenary. Another like herself—another person, married to the blade and the life it brought. He was down on his luck and shuffled through the streets weakly from one place to another in search of a job. She watched. Not making contact with him, simply watching his advance. A local gang of thugs jumped him from behind as he turned the corner and the man's sword, his livelihood, was ripped away from him before they pummeled his weak body into the dirt and began to run. He struggled to rise but faltered and fell back into the dirt. The thieves ran towards her and already she was unsheathing her katana and **FLASH**

The cell phone rang and a machine altered voice gives instructions. Someone had hired her sword. Robotically, she gets dressed and picks up her blade, her only companion. **FLASH**

A thief jumps from a penthouse to land right in the middle of a waiting police ring. Scanning the crowd and his opposition, he laughs. Watching the encounter, she is surprised when he haphazardly tosses her a bag of his loot with a knowing wink. Punching one of the cops, he runs right by her without another word. The police attempt to make pursuit and the first is cut down by her katana. Tying the bag to her waist with one hand, she raises the blade again. **FLASH**

He was there again. She wondered just how he kept finding her—it wasn't like she stayed in one place long enough to make a difference.

He swaggered forward and tipped his stemson in greeting. "Hi again. Fancy meeting you here," she snorted and he laughed, "Yeah, well, I guess you noticed." A smug grin crossed his face and he looked her straight in the eye. "How 'bout we team up you and I?" Hefting a sniper rifle, he waited for her reply.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She had never spent this much time with someone without it leading to a job or being the completion of one. And this person spoke of partnership? Was he serious? Looking him over, she tried to judge his level of seriousness. He seemed to be telling the truth, she detected no signs of lying in his voice . . . perhaps he _wasn't _lying? After years without human contact . . . could she actually have a partner? Could she handle the responsibility of such a relationship?

The offer was too good to pass up. She held out her hand, "My name is Yoyo."

Smiling he placed his own hand into hers and for the first time, she felt a warm grip, "Irvine Kinneas." And her first friend was made. **FLASH**

Others soon followed after him. The Gunblademan Leon, the mercenary Cloud and the thief Zidane. Even some women joined her ragtag group, the engineer Rikku and the cyborg Kurumi. Finally, her life had meaning. These people gave her a use that went past killing. No longer was she simply a vessel of death, but a friend. Her life changed and her old self was no more.

**FLASH**

Yoyo slowly opens her eyes to find Irvine leaning over her. "Are you alright? I've been trying to wake you up for a while now. You just kept on sleeping." His brows were pulled together and his eyes were darting over her face for any sign of pain.

He was a good person.

The first person.

With some effort, Yoyo pulled herself upright—Irvine hovering just in case she couldn't manage. Glancing out the window, she noticed the rain was stopping and smiled. The darkness of guilt had crept up on her and reminded her of what it was like to be alone. She took Irvine's hand and began pulling him out of the room and into the lighted hall.

Darkness couldn't keep her down. No, she would struggle towards the light no matter what happened.


	8. Ch8 Bad Gamblers, Insufficient Funds

School's Out! I got all of the A-range for my final grades in all my classes and am proud to say that I am now officially a Senior! Who's badass? Sh34k4 is!

**Kisses Before Death – 8**

Yoyo **Irvine **Zidane **Rikku ** Cloud ** Kurumi** Leon (Squall)

"Why are we always so poor?" Rikku whined as the party steadily trudged down yet another long ass road—renting a car was too expensive for their limited funds.

Leon's eyes shifted to bring her into his line of vision. "Cuz we have too many gamblers in the party." He sent Cloud, Irvine and Zidane meaningful glares, "_Bad_ gamblers." The trio who had lost all of the money on horse races and at card tables had the decency to look sheepish.

"You know, that wasn't _all_ my fault," Irvine said smoothly as he pointed his thumb at Zidane. "_He_ told me what horses to bet on. Said they were 'high quality steals.'" Zidane's eyes widened with shock at being so openly targeted. The group turned their attention to Zidane.

His tail wrapped itself around his waist as though it knew he was guilty and sought protection. "Now, come on, people. You can't just blame such a thing on _one_ person!" Pointing back at Irvine, he announced, "He told me he could _always _make it big in Vegas and Atlantic City. What's wrong with him now? He get ill? I guess that would explain why he lost over ten thousand Gil." Zidane emphasized this revelation with an airy wave as the rest of the group turned to look at Irvine with a dumbstruck awe.

Yoyo's eye lid twitched. _Over ten thousand Gil!_ She had fought against a dragon to get that Gil and he'd wasted _over ten thousand_? "What the hell is wrong with you people!" Gritting her teeth, she turned on them all. "Who the hell would waste that much money? Wouldn't you figure you needed to stop? God! Forget that stupid question because obviously NOT! Who the hell put you idiots in charge of the money _anyway_? Now we're walking—_walking!—_in this damn heat and all you can think to do is point fingers at each other like children! Rawr!" Yoyo felt like throwing something . . . preferably one of those gambling idiots.

Dropping her backpack, she stomped off to the side of the road and started to take out her aggression on the nearest solid object. The side of a small rock formation. _Thump, Kick, Pound._ She started to work some combos into that mountain that made the others wince partially from awe and partially from fear.

Zidane whispered to Irvine, "What do you think would happen if we ever got her _really_ mad?" The only reply he got was a thorough gulp that indicated Irvine was already imagining the horrors.

Leon dropped his pack and began taking out foodstuffs. "Well, since we're gonna be here for a while, how about we eat lunch?" There were no complaints so the group sat down to lunch with a rhythmic pounding noise for background music. As soon as he finished, Leon shared another plate of food and —much to the others' horror—brought it over to Yoyo.

"Come eat." The order was clear, his voice stern. The others watched, frozen, as they waited to see if Yoyo would turn on him. She stopped beating the rock and spared him a glance. Leon brushed her look aside with a wave of his hand. "Don't give me that look. Come eat or I'll shove it down your throat. Just because you're mad at those idiots doesn't mean you should skip a meal."

Yoyo stormed right up to him and yelled in his face, "Who are you bossing around? Who are you to tell me what to do?" She shoved him in the chest and Leo was forced to take a step backwards . . . But he came right back.

Surging forward until the two of them were nose to nose, Leon yelled right back, "The name's Leon and I'm bossing _you_ around. Now get your ass over there and eat something."

Mouths dropped in shock, the others watched as the normally stoic Leon turned aggressive with their quick tempered leader who was a little shocked herself. Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and looked into his eyes without giving any room for his advance.

She sniffed haughtily and demanded, "What are you gonna do if I don't?"

Leon's eyes were slits now. He didn't like dares, never did. "Well, first, I'm gonna do _this_." With the element of surprise, he lifted her up and tossed her onto his shoulder. "Then, I'm gonna do _this_," he plopped Yoyo down onto the rock closest to where he had left her meal. Looking straight into her resistant eyes, he spoke, "And if I have to, I'll feed you."

Kurumi was on the edge of her seat. Would Yoyo eat or would the cute-but-not-as-sexy-as-'Dane Leon get to feed her? Ooh! The excitement. Glancing to her left, she stole a peek at Irvine. He was glaring at the pair, his face stony with dislike. Kurumi's excitement meter went up three notches. Was Irvie _jealous_? Ooh! Things sure were getting interesting around here! She poked Zidane's arm and when he turned to look at her she used her eyes to indicate Irvine and winked. Zidane looked at his friend closely and soon realized Kurumi's train of thought. He sighed and shook his head. Nothing good would come from any of this.

Yoyo was looking up at Leon and seeing him in a whole new light. He'd never been this assertive with her over something so menial. She took a moment to look back at her actions of the day and mentally :_only_ mentally: admitted that she might have gone a little overboard. Her hands were cut in places where the skin had refused to take anymore of her abuse and little rivers of blood were making a path down her forearm. She chanced a glance at Leon and saw that he wasn't glaring anymore, but running his hand through his straight brown hair and sighing.

"Sometimes, I wonder what I'm gonna do with you." Yoyo's eyes widened. His comment was so far out of left field that it knocked her off center.

"What are you talking about?"

Leon sighed again and looked away, "Don't worry about it. Eat your food while I wrap your knuckles for you." Yoyo gave him a questioning look but picked up her tray and started to eat. Leon took a roll of gauze out of his pocket and bent down in front of her so he could treat her hands.

Rikku giggled. "Doesn't it look like he's proposing to her?"

Kurumi took her lead and ran with it. Eyes sparkling, she replied with overly joyful tones, "Ooh! This is great! Maybe they like each other! Maybe they'll get _married_." She turned sly eyes to Irvine, "What do _you_ think, Irvine?"

"Yeah . . . married." Irvine rose from his seat and walked off in silence.

Cloud and Zidane turned to the two girls. "That wasn't necessary," Cloud began.

"Geez, who would have thought the two of you could be such bitches?" Zidane finished before he and Cloud got up to follow Irvine.

_Bitches_? Rikku and Kurumi's worlds fell and blankets of guilt suffocated their consciences, making Kurumi to cry.

"Maybe that _was_ a bit too much," Rikku said aloud.

Kurumi only could only force a few words in between sniffles, "'Dane said I was a . . . sniff sniff . . . _bitch!_ Waa!" She leaned against a sweat dropping Rikku who could only pat the poor girl's back and try to comfort her. She really couldn't blame Kurumi for feeling a bit hurt. Although Cloud hadn't said the words himself, the fact that he too felt that she had been acting that way caused a pang in her heart as well. Shit. Love was nothing but trouble.

Looking back at the pair that had started all the trouble, she took a moment to truly wonder what their relationship would become in the future . . .

END

Here it is! The REAL eighth chapter. I know I accidentally posted an empty one, and for that I apologize. I hadn't begun typing it and it accidentally got posted and for the confusion, "Sorry." Well, I got some nice reviews and some demands :looks at Shad: and for those, "Thanx!" cuz that means you like it Hopefully, they'll come out faster now that I'm out of my writer's block and back in my Creative Flow Zone :lol: — Sh34k4


	9. Ch9 Clarity in a Sandstorm

Hey! I'm not dead yet! Just busy. But not too much so that I couldn't write this for you Enjoy! — Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 9**

Yoyo **Irvine **Zidane **Rikku ** Cloud ** Kurumi** Leon (Squall)

Cloud and Zidane found themselves about two miles from camp, following the still-shocked Irvine. They had tried calling out to him a few times, but soon realized that he was either ignoring them or so lost in thought, he couldn't hear their calls because he continued on without any signs of stopping to reply. They could have left him to his own devices, but fiends were everywhere in this day and age. They couldn't just abandon him to his thoughts and whatever monster decided to attack a vulnerable human in the middle of nowhere.

As they followed from a distance, they talked about the happenings of the past couple minutes and what could possibly be waiting in the future. They had started off where Rikku and Kurumi had left off, talking of Yoyo marrying Leon and how Irvine might just leave the party because he couldn't handle that kind of situation. They then went on to discuss a turn in the pairing, what if Irvine ended up getting Yoyo in the end? They were so busy amusing themselves with wild ideas—well Zidane was being amusing and Cloud, his usual serious self—that they didn't notice Irvine had stopped until they were almost abreast of him.

Leaning downwards, so he could see Irvine's face, Cloud's words momentarily clogged in his throat. Irvine's pain rose off of his body in an almost palpable aura, so much so that Cloud was inclined to put a hand on Irvine's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. "Hey man, it's not the end of the world yet, you know. She's still available, just a little detour in the path now."

Zidane came up on the other side of Irvine, jostling his body as he threw his arm around his shoulders, "Yeah Irv! Yoyo just started looking at Leon in that light. You were _totally_ working on it first. You just have to stop being so gentle with it and become more aggressive." Irvine's eyes blinked as though he we4re processing the information so they pushed on with their conversation.

"You have to show her your manly side, chicks love a guy who's all man," Zidane told him as he puffed out his chest in example.

"Please, don't," Cloud's eyes rolled as he shook his head in disagreement, "Ladies like the gentlemanly approach. What I suggest is you take her out and show her a good time. One that'll leave her knowing you don't just want to be friends."

Zidane pushed Cloud aside and took control of Irvine's attention. "But you gotta kiss her. If you don't kiss her and make it the best this-is-what-you've-been-missing kiss she's ever had in her _life_ you won't get anywhere. If you kiss her and her socks _don't_ fly off, then it's a lost cause cuz you'll never get laid." Zidane shrugged as though it didn't matter but kept his attention on Irvine all the same.

Irvine was only listening with half an ear, but he couldn't deny that their words held truth. Up until now, he had only been supporting her in any way possible, be it battle or an argument, he had her side. But now that he was taking the time to analyze his feelings, he wondered if it was simply because of his attraction or if it was the fear of losing her that caused him to do so. The fear that, deep down, wondered if she would get tired of the group life and decide to leave them all behind . . .

He had had many urges in the past. He'd wanted to hold her close when she had nightmares of her past. Grab her hand and tell her things would be all right when she worried about things by herself. There had been times when he had seen her beaten and bloody from battle and he had wanted to care for her . . . and had, in a way. He was always there to share a glass of her favorite rum in hopes of lessening the pain she would never complain about.

He knew more of her past than most of the others. Though he wasn't sure of exactly how much she'd deemed to tell the others, he _was_ sure there hadn't been painful stories under the stars as there had been with him. They would lie in the grass or on rocks—he hadn't cared. So long as it had been with her—and stare up at the night sky.

Yoyo would simply stare up at the stars and sometimes talk about the constellations and they would chat. But occasionally, she would talk of her past years, and these were the times he'd yearn for. When she would drop the powerful walls of the assassin and just strip own to the woman who was lonely and starving for humanly contact that resulted in companionship and not death.

Irvine had felt a vice beginning to clamp down on his heart from them—he'd just never thought it would cause him this kind of pain in the long run. Despite the vice, he didn't try to ignore her failings. Yoyo was horribly ignorant of the ways of people. In all the time they had been traveling together, she had never noticed his feelings, never given any sign that she herself was forming feelings for him. No, none for _him_.

But Leon got acknowledgement.

Irvine's teeth gritted angrily in remembrance. What was it about Leon that he could get a reaction like the one he ha seen back at camp? After all his years of trying . . . all his years of being there, waiting for the right time to step forward and say . . . _something!_ Irvine's fists clenched and his body quivered.

"How the _HELL_ DID I end up liking such an _idiot_?" Snatching his rifle from Zidane, Irvine let off a few shots on some nearby vegetation. Though they were a bit worried about his sudden outburst, Zidane and Cloud couldn't quite hold in the awe. As angry as he was—and they were pretty certain he was _pissed_—all the shots hit dead on, leaving large gaps where the bullets had passed through.

"What in the _world_ possessed me when I looked at _that_ _Shot_ and thought, 'She is actually really pretty'? _Shot_ Jeez, she's oblivious, _Shot_ arrogant, _Shot _deadly, _Shot _caring,_ Shot _protective, _Shot_ got a _great_ ass, _Shot_ and I liver her. _Click_ _Click_

Irvine looked down at his rifle and a small smile crept to his lips as he accepted that the truth couldn't be changed. He _loved_ that fool of a girl. This situation he'd found himself in was going to be trying, but he knew he'd have to take control of it. Turning to look at Cloud and Zidane, Irvine's smile spread, "Let's go back," then after a thoughtful pause, he added, "She worries about us, y'know."

Without another word, the three of them turned around and began heading back towards camp. They had been walking for about half a mile, when the ground shifted from under them to reveal a band of child-sized metal scorpions that had obviously been lying in wait for a chance at some foolish travelers. The dust from their ruse flew up into the air and caused a large dust cloud to hide their exact positions and number.

"Well, well, well. Looks too me like we've got some trav-lerzzz." One of them said from the darkness. Snickers and sounds of pinchers snapping excitedly answered and from the noise, the trio knew they were surrounded. And by a good number of the little bastards too, if sound of those pincers was anything to go by.

Back-to-back, Cloud, Zidane, and Irvine prepped their weapons for a fight. They didn't need to talk aloud to know what the plan was. One couldn't fight well surrounded by the enemy that had set up a trap to cover his whereabouts. They were all going to fight their way out of the cloud to better the odds, especially Irvine. A sniper wasn't any good in this kind of situation; he might end up hitting the wrong person. His first order of business would be to get out of the dust cloud and take position on the nearby rocks. From there, he could provide greater support for the two swordsmen on the ground.

Plan ready, the three began to fight their way out of the cloud and into the open night air . . .

_Back at Camp_

Yoyo, bandaged up and fed, was looking around camp for the guys. Kurumi and Rikku, she had found silently crying, not wanting to talk about the reason. Leon was close to the fire, setting up an area for them to sleep tonight. That was four out of seven accounted for . . . where _were_ those three? She began to worry when a half hour passed and none of them came back.

Gazing off in the direction she just _knew_ he had gone, Yoyo whispered, "Irvie, where are you?"

END

"Yes" I know it's been a LONG time since a release, and for that, "Sorry" I just couldn't think of anything and then Sexe gave me a WONDERFUL idea and my pen just couldn't stop writing! I got home and typed up the entire chapter in one sitting. Hope you enjoyed it, Review and tell me what you think. — Sh34k4


	10. Ch10 Absolute Zero or BUST!

Hey! I have Study Hall now so I can sit around for a luxurious Silent 45 minutes and write as much as I want, thus a double release on the chapters! I have WAY too much free time now. Hope you like the romantic direction it's going in. Enjoy! — Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 10**

Yoyo **Irvine **Zidane **Rikku ** Cloud ** Kurumi** Leon (Squall)

For every metal scorpion that was taken down, two more advanced to replace it. Cloud, Irvine and Zidane were slowly clearing a path for themselves, but the little bastards weren't making it easy. The metal armor that made up their backs wasn't easily pierced by Zidane's double-edged knife or Irvine's standard bullets. Only Cloud's heavy broadsword made critical amounts of damage so the battle plan took an immediate swing. Zidane and Irvine went from offense to support, with Cloud leading the attack and them finishing off anything stupid enough to still be moving. The scorpions seemed to be endless in number and the stupid dust cloud they kept plentiful didn't help at all.

"Shit!" Zidane swore as he hacked at a scorpion trying to creep up on their left side, "How many of these things _are_ there?"

"Damn it all! We shouldn't have left in such a rush!" Cloud spat dirt from his mouth as he took on the scorpion that had burrowed underground to try and surprise him, only to madden him with a mouth full of desert sand. "I _wish_ I had my materia right now."

Their comments gave Irving a bit of a guilty feeling. If they hadn't been rushing after his fool hide, they wouldn't have forgotten important things like their materia. Hell, if Cloud _did_ have it, he would have used his Wind techniques to get rid of both the scorpions and this infernal dust cloud.

Well, they were holding their own . . . for now. At the rate these idiots kept coming, it was only a matter of endurance. Which would fall first, them or the scorpions? He prayed to God that it wasn't any of them. He knew, no matter what happened, that this was his fault.

_Back at Camp_

Yoyo lifted her hefty Katana and secured it in its sheath on her back. Her movements quick and efficient, she checked the rounds in her gun and the materia she always carried.

It had been _far_ too long.

Wherever those three had gone, it couldn't possibly take this long to return. Something was wrong, she could _feel_ it. The most she figured, if she went to check and met them halfway only to find nothing amiss, then she was paranoid. But—and this was a _big_ 'but' in her opinion—if things _did_ prove to be wrong, she'd feel better that she didn't ignore her gut feeling.

"I'll be back," she turned to head off in the general direction Rikku had pointed out between sobs. Whatever the problem was with those two, she'd have to find out when they weren't so occupied with themselves.

Leon rose as well. "I'll go with you."

Before he even finished speaking, yoyo was shaking her head. "You can't just leave those two here by themselves." She indicated the two sobbing girls and the look Leon gave them said he'd be glad to get away from their tears for a bit. "I'll be back soon," she reassured as she began to run.

_Dessert Battle_

"Dude, we can't keep going on like this," Zidane yelled as he labored against a large scorpion. Its pincers whipped forward and almost reached him, but Irvine shot it off before it could make contact.

"I'm running low, guys. I'm gonna have to reload soon," Irvine turned to shoot an advancing scorpion in the eye.

The dust was clearing up a bit now, he could tell because his eyes didn't feel like coarse sandpaper every time he blinked. If they just kept going for a bit longer, they could get out of here. Mentally, he checked his bullets.

The chamber only had 2 or 3 left . . . reloading in such an open place would be a bitch and then he'd be on his last round. Using one hand, Irvine shot his last two bullets at the closest scorpions before backing up so Zidane and Cloud could cover him.

"Reloading," he shouted as he ejected the clip and tossed it aside.

The scorpions weren't fools. The bullets Irvine had fired into their eyes kept them wary and had them attacking to the sides more than they did his general area. Now that Irvine was preoccupied, they came in one great swell.

"_Shit_!" Irvine cursed as he tried to get the clip in. The damn thing was jammed! Fleetingly, he remembered that he'd meant to take the gun apart and fix that problem before going to bed tonight . . . great deal of good _that_ did him now!

The scorpions were closing in and Cloud and Zidane were furiously trying to hold them off. _Shit, shit, SHIT!_ Irvine's mind yelled as he ejected the clip again before forcing it into the chamber. _Yes!_ Raising his gun, he quickly took aim but before he could pull the trigger, three shots pierced through the closest scorpions' hearts killing them instantly.

A figure stood to the far left, killing everything in her direct pat. One shot, clean and no waste. _Yoyo_.

"Clear!" she yelled as she unsheathed her katana and quickly ran her finger down the dull edge. Excited little thunderbolts began to dance along the blade and Irvine knew what was coming next.

"Get the hell away from them!" The trio moved quickly until they were back in the middle of the ringing scorpions and clear of their metal bodies.

Yoyo raised her katana until the tip pointed to the heavens and yelled, "Thundaga!"

Multiple bolts of thunder jumped from the sky to the vulnerable metal scorpions and a torturous chorus of pain rang out as the affected scorpions bawled their pain. Not wasting the chance, the three men quickly cleared a path for themselves until they joined Yoyo on the outer edge.

Irvine walked up to her and didn't stop until he was but a few inches away from her. If he'd dared, he would have pulled her close, but instead he opted for smiling down into her face.

"I knew you'd worry. I tried to get back before you could but," Irvine sighed, "I got a little held up."

Yoyo didn't know why, but she felt a blush rising in her cheeks and a pleased warmth rush through her chest. He'd thought about her feelings. Actually, it shocked her that he'd remembered that small flaw in her character. Something so insignificant, said so long ago . . . she hadn't thought he'd care much less remember it.

With false bravado, she scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about." To cover her embarrassing reaction, she turned to shoot a couple of scorpions.

Gazing at her tense back, Irvine simply smiled and moved to her side. "Thanks for being a worrier," he whispered in her ear as he guided her suddenly motionless gun hand to another scorpion and helped her pull the trigger. "I'll be taking this one and a few rounds." Without waiting for a reply, he slipped the other gun out of the holster and a clip from her thigh holder.

Yoyo wasn't very sure, but for a second it felt like it took him an eternity to retrieve the clip. But as the thought came, he moved away and began releasing specialized lightning element bullets on the scorpions.

Snapping back to reality, she shifted into the center of the men's triangle formation. That first Thundaga had knocked a good number of them unconscious. Unfortunately, it had also depleted most of her MP as well. It was the best choice against these metal monsters but also the most costly. If she used it again, it would shoot her right down to zero and it wasn't even a certainty that they'd all get hit this time.

She looked at her wrapped hands. The knuckles were still bruises and splotches of blood were starting to seep through the bandages. If she his zero, she'd be three-quarters close to _useless_. Her gun didn't require that much energy but her katana was more efficient and faster. She was in somewhat of a bind and suddenly found herself cursing her earlier burst of anger and how stupid it had been to damage her valuable hands.

To hit Absolute Zero or to continue fighting longer?

The guys were tiring and bullets wouldn't last forever. A smile crossed her lops.

"If we have to go out, might as well go out with a bit of flash," grasping her katana, Yoyo focused all her remaining energy. Pointing the katana to the heavens once more, she took a risk and yelled, "_Thundaga!_"

END

I wrote the entire chapter during my study hall, in which there is NO talking cuz I got lucky and got the most hated teacher in the school . . . Hope you enjoyed it, PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Tell me what you think. — Sh34k4


	11. Ch11 Worrying, on a French Level

Hope you like this romantic chapter, I just HAD to give him his dues. Enjoy! — Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 11**

Yoyo **Irvine **Zidane **Rikku ** Cloud ** Kurumi** Leon (Squall)

"_Thundaga_!"

Thunder rained down all around them as Yoyo held onto her katana, tying to direct the bolts so they wouldn't stray and hit the guys. It was a struggle. The katana was shaking violently from the strain of the spell and her hands were past the 'splotches' stage and quickly advancing into the 'soaked with blood' stage.

The blade jerked as it tried to run rampant and Yoyo was weakened from casting the spell. Her arms began to droop and her knees demanded that she buckle over. She was on the verge of obeying when strong arms encircled her waist and braced her arm.

Irvine.

She didn't need to look over her should to see it was him. She knew it had to be Irvine supporting her now when she needed it.

The thunder ended.

The air around them felt charged with electricity and gave wary bodies a jolt of energy. Zidane and Cloud surveyed the damage. The number left over could be counted on their hands and with one look at the duo's menacing smile, not even that. The scorpions weren't fools, they knew when a battle was a failure and decided to scurry out of harms' path.

Yoyo slumped in Irvine's grasp and the cold metal of her katana fell from her fingertips to be replaced by the warmth of a human hand. She watched, entranced, as he brought their clasped hands around so that she twirled in a waltz-like fashion. His brown eyes were deep with determination and looked into hers as though searching for something unknown.

"I worry too, you know." For a moment, she thought he was teasing her, but came to realize the opposite when Irvine leaned forward and kissed her.

Yoyo's eyes widened.

This wasn't the playful peck he'd give her as he tried to wheedle gambling money out of her purse. Nor was it a friendly meeting of lips. This was a _kiss_. One of his large hands moved to the nape of her neck and the other moved to cup the side of her face.

Stunned, all Yoyo did was try to get a good grip on his jacket before she fell over from the sensation. It was when she felt him nudging her jaw that surprise kicked in.

His _tongue_ was in her _mouth_!

Her first kiss had escalated from 'kiss' to _'French_ kiss' in only . . . oh God, she didn't even know how long they'd been kissing. What she _did_ know was that it felt _wonderful_. She wasn't exactly sure of what she was doing, but she began to imitate him and kiss him back.'

She was just getting the hang of it all and the sensations had escalated to nice little sparkling things behind her eyelids when he slowly pulled away, and boy was it hard to let him! Yoyo opened her eyes as though she were awakening from a daze.

Irvine was still gazing down into her eyes, not saying a word. Then he took her hand and laced their fingers together as he picked up her katana. Smiling that wonderfully charming smile, he spoke, "Let's go."

END

Short, I know, but I had to let Irvine get his moment. They guy's been suffering too long and I felt after 10 chapters he needed to shine. Hope you enjoyed it, REMEMBER TO OFFICIALLY REVIEW! Tell me what you think. — Sh34k4


	12. Ch12 Pains of Misspent Youth

Hope you like this romantic chapter, I just HAD to give him his dues. Enjoy! — Sh34k4

**Kisses Before Death – 12**

Yoyo **Irvine **Zidane **Rikku ** Cloud ** Kurumi** Leon (Squall) **Mystery Addition!**

It had been a week since the iron scorpion battle, and though Yoyo's dense nature had her thinking everything was back to normal, the rest of the group knew otherwise.

An unspoken declaration of war had been issued between Irvine and Leon, Cloud and Zidane weren't ignoring Rikku and Kurumi anymore, but the two were careful not to anger them. While Yoyo ignorantly chattered about the upcoming trek through the mountains, the others were trying to balance out the mountainous emotional tension.

They'd left the desert three days ago and were now working their way into a long expanse of mountains that would lead them to their next destination.

Stretching her arms in front of her, Yoyo said, "Man, these things remind me of school."

_Her school?_

Leon's brow quirked. This was rare. While the subject was still fresh . . . "So, your school for assassins was in the mountains? What was that like?"

A cold expression took over her face, surprising in its swiftness. It was almost as though a chill breeze had swept her smile from her. "That school, it is not worthy of the beauty of its surroundings." She quickly returned to making her way up the path and the others looked after her in silence.

Leon felt like crap.

How could one question cause such a negative reaction? He was starting to move forward to go after her, when Irvine shoved him aside with a rude, "Nice going, yuppie," and left him behind.

Yoyo had already put a good distance between herself and the group when Irvine caught up to her. "Come on," he grabbed her hand and began pulling her farther ahead and off the path.

Confusion took precedence over past pains, "Where are we going?"

Anything was better than pain, "You'll see, now get that ass in gear."

So the swift strides became a run and soon she was just going with the flow and following wherever Irvine felt to pull her. Without a destination—because she knew him, she knew he didn't know where they were going. He was just trying to make her feel better and it was the trying that made warmth gather in her chest and a smile to her lips.

He was such a caring man.

They came to a pause, lungs straining but it was well worth the effort to get lost. Irvine claimed it was where he wanted to take her and she laughed because she knew he was making it up as he went along.

"That's _much_ better." He gazed down into her eyes and she found herself wondering if he was going to kiss her.

Now where had _that_ thought come from? A blush crept across her cheeks and she wondered if he could see it through her dark skin. "What is?"

A slow smile came to his lips and her eyes darted down to watch—only for a second! She was _not_ thinking about kissing him—she quickly returned them to make eye contact and focused.

_Do _not_ think about kissing!_

"You smiling is always better than your sad face." Grabbing her hand, he pulled her along a little further and se saw that they had come across one of those cliffs that overlooked a small mountain river below. Yoyo could barely manage to let her breath go.

It was simply too beautiful.

"There were places like this y'know. We weren't supposed to notice, but I always thought they were special," she looked around slowly and allowed her eyes to catch every detail.

"Yeah? Why'd you think that?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Irvine felt as though he could have kicked himself. How could he ask something so similar to what that yuppie had asked her?

Yoyo's hand tightened in his and Irvine prepared himself for her anger, but instead of lashing out, her grip loosened and she kept her eyes on the scenery as she replied, "Everything they ever taught us was how to kill. I learned the main killing spots of the body before I was seven and quickly graduated from the fighting arts level to the weapons level before I was thirteen. Excelling at killing was smiled upon and anything that left that strict dogma was quickly . . . squelched."

The sadness filled her voice again and this time, Irvine squeezed _her_ hand. "Once I left, there was nothing for me in the world _but_ killing. I don't know how to do anything _but_ kill! I don't have any experience with other people. At school . . . they weren't other people. They were potential rivals, possibly even Hits." Irvine turned her around to face him and searched her gold eyes. He loved looking into her eyes whenever he could, that was where the true woman lied.

No matter what her exterior portrayed, you could always find the true Yoyo deep in her eyes. All her feelings were there, you just had to care enough to look for them. Irvine searched deep, and as he looked, he could see the fear. She may seem worldly and tough, but she truly was such a soft thing, her shell only half open, potential still unreached.

"Sit down. I want to tell you about my life growing up." He took a place on the grass and rocks that made their cliff and tugged her down beside him. She tried to pull away, but he countered her by putting his arm firmly about her shoulders and kept her close enough that his jacket opened a bit to include her and she could feel the heat of his body.

Yoyo's heart raced. This was _very_ close by her standards, she was sure it isn't normal to sit like these by normal people's standards too. When she opened her mouth to tell Irvine so, she was interrupted. He has started talking and she never got to telling him what she thought.

"I grew up in an orphanage with Leon, you know." He looked down into her disbelieving face and smiled, "Yeah, you wouldn't have guessed it, but we practically grew up together. It wasn't a great big orphanage or anything. It was this little house on the seaside, owned by this couple that couldn't have children of their own, they were good substitutes to a bunch of kids whose parents had either died or abandoned them." His chin came to rest on her head and kept her from looking up into his face, so she just looked at the mountains and tried to imagine a tiny boy Irvine running and playing with an equally small Leon.

"We got accepted into training for SeeD pretty young and made it to official mercenary levels by the time we were seventeen or so. I always hated how easy that yuppie made everything look, excelling at his classes while I pushed and shoved my way through the class ranks, but you know what?" He moved his chin and she looked up into his eyes, soft from reminiscence. "It was always fun. He was a challenge I wanted to surpass so I exerted myself into my classes and soon learned techniques he couldn't hope to master. I took life by the horns and decided that _I_ was going to be the one riding the bull. I want that for you. I want you to find what you want and take it by the horns. There is something for everyone, I'm sure you can find it. I'm always here to help you too," he winked his sly player wink and her heart pitter-pattered against her ribs.

No wonder Irvine was never lacking in attention from women! That wink must have stopped many a girl. The wind blew, and with it came a sudden realization. He was a player. One didn't simply involve themselves with that type of man unless they didn't care about their own feelings. She smiled at him and tried to push away so she could rise.

Irvine held her tighter. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." She looked him directly in the eyes, "This wouldn't work out Irvine."

He waved that excuse away, "Yes, it would."

Shaking her head, Yoyo declined, "No, really, it wouldn't work. I know you like your freedom and all, you're such the player," a forced laugh left her lips and even to her, it sounded like a lie, "I know it wouldn't work. I'm not like that."

Irvine blinked, and then a smile spread across his face. Yoyo's brows furrowed. _What the hell was so funny? She'd just rejected him, hadn't she?_ Pulling her closer, so that her nose almost touched the tip of hers and their eyes were on an equal level, Irvine looked into her eyes as he told her, "I know it will work. It will work because I _want_ this to work. I didn't want the others, so they didn't work, but I want _you_." His lips touched hers and a sigh escaped.

Why did her mind go blank whenever he kissed her? He opened her mouth a bit more and she allowed him entrance, lost in the feelings that were welling up in her chest. Irvine kissed her with all the feelings he couldn't put into words yet, she wasn't ready for them. Being able to kiss her was enough for now, _for now_. Suddenly, she was unbuttoning his vest and Irvine's mind quickly jumped from 'for now' to '_right_ now.' Maybe she was ready for more than he had originally thought? His hands began to roam and his kisses got more ardent.

"Well, never thought I'd come across something like _this_."

Shock had Yoyo pushing away from Irvine in a flash to unsheathe her katana. The intruder chuckled, more of a snicker, as he told her, "Come now, is that really how you greet an old friend?"

Irvine looked at the guy before him in stunned silence. Who the hell _was_ this guy? He was dressed in an outrageously sloppy black suit that looked like it was once tailored to fit but now looked as though he'd slept in it far too often. His stance said he was relaxed but the hands at his sides were loose and ready for action.

_How the hell did he get here?_

Yoyo snickered a bit herself, "I didn't know scum like you could dress so well."

The man tsked at her barb and proceeded to groom his spiking red hair with such an uncaring manner that Irvine wondered if he really knew who Yoyo was. "I didn't know they let slackers like you graduate! What _are_ they thinking at that School of the Forbidden Arts nowadays?! His voice was full of mock scandal and Yoyo grit her teeth at his words.

_School of Forbidden Arts? _What the _hell_ was going on here?

Irvine's confusion only grew.

"I don't remember asking you for you opinion . . ." a sneer spread across her lips as Yoyo spat out his name, "Reno."

END

Hope you enjoyed it, REMEMBER TO OFFICIALLY REVIEW! Tell me what you think. — Sh34k4


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